Thursday, October 16, 2008

Fabric Dyeing Day, Re-use and Re-purpose for Fall

My recycling idea...this week I had a fabric dyeing day (before a day-and-a-half of flu). I decided to dye some of the natural fiber clothes I have to prepare them for fall and winter. Several of the tops turned out very well, and some will need to be over-dyed because they didn't take the dye well.

I like the way these two turned out...

They both had been white cotton which had faded to not-quite-white. The original color was off, but the fabric was in very good shape...perfect for dyeing for a new season.

One problem with dyeing white cotton garments is that sometimes the white top-stitching is not done well and it's stitched with a polyester thread which will not dye. In that case, stitching over it with a matching rayon or cotton design works fine. That's happened a couple of times for me before, but the blue top below actually had some nice top stitching and looks fine dyed. I like the mottled look, but if I want a solid look to my color I manipulate the piece more in the dye to give an even tone.